Suspected Shooter Arrested In Mississippi Highway Slayings

Investigators have arrested a suspect in the shooting deaths of two motorists in Mississippi, killings that stirred panic and fear for drivers around the state, authorities said Friday.

Police arrested James D. Willie, 28, of Sardis, Mississippi, after tests concluded that a gun he had was used to kill two people along roadways in the northwestern part of the state, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office in Tunica County, near the Arkansas and Tennessee state lines.

“Hundreds of man hours have been devoted to tracking down and arresting this individual,” Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said.

Willie is a convicted felon with a long criminal record, said Warren Strain, a spokesman for the Mississippi Highway Patrol.